Quote:
Originally Posted by Team3266Spencer
The goal is to use the stilts to play defense ourself, and an agile drivetrain to play offense.
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A sensible and common goal. But I'd suggest watching some more match footage from as many different games as you can, as this goal doesn't really align with reality all that often.
While a mechanical brake will help you maintain position, in most cases there's enough room for a
skilled offensive robot to avoid a fixed obstacle (like a team braked in position). Occassionally there are chokepoints (like next to the pyramids this year or the tunnel in 2010), but there are usually other options (under the pyramid this year or over the bumps in 2010) and most of the best offensive robots are capable of using those. If anyting, a braking device will be most helpful for maintaining offensive positioning during a lengthy scoring process in an unprotected area (such as most teams scoring tetras in 2005, tubes in 2007, or a bunch of balls in a single load in 2006).
Similarly, the concept a omni-directional offensive robot seems like it would more difficult to defend, but reality tends to disagree. Unless you have the option of goals in multiple directions (2005), the general path the offensive robot is going to take is predictable, regardless of how many different directions the robot can travel. A
smart defender is usually able to position themselves between the offensive robot and their destination and force the offensive machine into at least some contact (a scenario that does not benefit mecanum or omni wheels). If you want to avoid this contact, the solution is typically having a higher acceleration and better drivers than the defender.